Growth of data storage capacity and demands of data users has far outpaced network data transmission bandwidth. Large-scale data sets (e.g., “big data”), for instance, may comprise collections of data so massive or complex that traditional data transfer solutions are incapable of efficiently or effectively transferring them. The process of moving large-scale data sets from a source destination onto a data storage system can consume considerable resources and/or involve risk. The size of a data set, for example, may be such that the transfer of data over a network is impractical. Further, due to the size or complexity of the data sets, it may be difficult to determine whether the entire data set has been successfully transferred or copied from the source location onto the data storage system. Determining whether the data set has been successfully transferred to the data storage location at the end destination may also be challenging, especially when data is transferred in ways that avoid any computer networks for at least part of the transfer.